Variable capacity folding box



Aug' 5 1947' J. FUEHRER I 2,425,034

| VARIABLE CAPACITY FOLDING BOX l Filed June 8, 1944 fig/.1 v

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,Il l [06 UH [06 ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 5, 1947 UNITED STATES VARIABLECAPACITY FGLDING BOX Jacob Fuehrer, Moodus, Conn.

Application June 8, 1944, Serial No. 539,308

1 2 Claims. l

This invention relates to an improved folding box, and one of itsobjects is to provide a collapsible box for holding foods and goods ofall descriptions, which includes a central section which is normally notcollapsed and end sections which may be independently collapsed or setup, so that the capacity of the box may be increased, or decreased aspartial deliveries of its contents are made.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a collapsible box ofthis type with a handle for each section, all of the handles being soarranged that they may be grasped by the fingers of one hand, and thefully loaded box and its contents lifted thereby.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists incertain new and useful constructions, combinations and arrangements ofparts, clearly described in the following specilication and fullyillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a frontelevation, showing all sections set up for full loading.

Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing both end sections collapsed.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view, showing one of the end sections opened up,certain panels being shown broken away for convenience.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken online 4 4 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 5 is a plan view, partly broken away, of the blank, slightlymodified.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which show one form o-f myinvention, 5 designates the central section of the improved folding box,6 the right end collapsible section, and 1 the left end collapsiblesection, all being made from a single blank of sheet cardboard orsimilar material.

The central section includes the center bottom panel or Wall 8 and theconnected central rear and front wall panels l0 and l0', which foldalong the bending lines lila' and wb'. To one side of the central wallpanel Ill the side wall or right rear panel Ina is arranged, and thisfolds on the bending line llc, and all of its three other edges arecompletely free. On the other side of the panel l0 a similar left rearpanel Illa" is provided, which folds along the bending line ld, and allthe remaining edges of this panel or wall are free or unattached to therest of the blank.

The front central wall panel I0 is connected on one side to the rightfront panel lb, and this folds on the bending line ille on the mentioned2 panel l0, and all the other edges of the right front panel lb areunattached to the other panels. 'On the other side of the panel l0 theleft front panel Ilb is provided, which folds on the bending line illf,and all of the remaining edges of this panel are'unattached to the bodyof the blank.

The central section is reinforced by a strip 9, the same Width as thecenter panels 3 and lil, but the ends of this strip are extended toprovide handle forming portions or aps i i and l2, which are adapted tobe arranged in overlapping relation to each other. A hand grip loopforming a handle l2 is provided on the extension or flap I2.

Attached to one side of the' center bottom panel 8 is a right bottompanel i3, which is connected to the end panel or wall Id, by the bendingline i3d. A top panel or Wall l5 is connected by the bending line (5awith the end panel M. A cordor other handle IB forms a hand grip loopwhich is attached to the top panel I5 and extends from the vend thereof.To the sides of the end panel I4 the right rear and front panels Ida andIlb are attached, to fold on the bending lines Illa' and Ilib'. Theentire right hand end section, comprising the panels i3, lil, I5, Iliaand lib forms a cruciform shaped structure or blank portion.

To the other side of the center bottom panel 8, the left bottom panelI5' is connected at the bending line lb, and to this bottom panel I 5the left end panel I6 is connected at the bending line Ia, and to theend panel I6' the top panel or wall I1 is connected at the bending lineIla. A cord or other handle I8 forms a second hand grip loop which isattached to the top panel or wall I1 and extends from the end thereof.The bottom panel I5 forms the bottom of the left end section, the leftend panel I6 forms the end wall thereof, and the top panel Il forms thetop wall thereof. A left rear panel lea folds on the bending line |6.con the end panel I6 and a left front panel |6b folds on the bending lineld on the end panel I6. The four panels l5', I6', l1, la and ISI) form asecond cruciform structure comprising the entire left hand end sectionof the box blank.

The group of panels comprising the right end collapsible section 5 maybe assembled in open box formation, as shown in Fig. l, so that the endhandle lr6 will be adjacent to the handle l2' of the central section.The group of panels cornprising the left end collapsible section 1 maybe similarly arranged, so that the end handle I 8 thereof will beadjacent the central hancheY I2.

in Which case one of the end sections may be collapsed on the centralsection, as the deliveries are made, so as to reduce the bulk of thebox.

The same applies to the gradual collection of items. The box may bearranged so that only one of the end sections is used, and as the itemsincrease beyond the capacity of this assembled section, the othersection may be assembled, so that the box Will be brought to fullcapacity. Double bending lines may be provided on any of the jointsbetween any two panels, so thatbendirrar may develop in eitherdirection.

Having described my invention I claim as new:`

l. A box made from one sheet of cardboard which is cut and provided withfold lines so as to form a central section, a right hand end section,and a left hand end section, said center section including a bottompanel, a rear wall panel, a front wall panel; said right hand sectionhaving a bottom panel extending from one side of the center bottompanel, an end panel, a top panel, and front and rear panels extendingfrom opposite sides of said end panel, said front and rear panels havingend margins extending as far as the plane of the adjacent edge portionsof said center section; said left hand section having a bottom panelextending from the opposite side of the center bottom panel, an endpanel, a top panel, and front and rear panels extending from oppositesides of said end panel, said front and rear panels having end marginsextending as far as the plane of the adjacent opposite edge portions ofsaid center section; right and left rear panels extending from the rearwall central panel and reinforcing the rear right and left panels ofsaid end section; right and left front panels extending from the frontcentral Wall panel and reinforcing the front panels of the right andleft end sections; a flap extending from the top of said center sectionfront panel, and a flap extending from the top of said center sectionrear panel and reinforcing the first mentioned flap, said flaps forminga top cover for said central section.

2. A box made from a blank of cardboard which is cut and provided withfold lines so as to form a relatively short central section, a righthand end section, and a left hand end section, said center sectionincluding a bottom panel, a rear wall panel, a lfront Wall panel; saidright hand section having a bottom panel extending Vfrom the centerbottom panel, an end panel, a

top YpaneLand front and rear panels extending from opposite sides of theend panel; said left I hand section having a bottom panel extending alsofrom the center bottom panel, an end panel, a top panel, and front andrear panels extending from opposite sides of said end panel; right andleft rear panels extending from the rear Wall central panel andreinforcing the rear right and left panels of said end sections; rightand left front panels extending from the iront Acentral wall panel andreinforcing the front panels of the right and left end sections; a iiapextending from the top of the front center section panel, a flapextending from the ktop of said center section rear panel andreinforcing the first mentioned flap, said ilaps forming a top cover forthe central section, said reinforcing iiap having centrally thereof afront to rear central hand grip loop, a flap adhesively attached to thetop panel of said right hand section and havingthereon a, lateral handgrip loop, and a flap adhesively attached to the top panel of said lefthand section and having also thereon a lateral hand grip loop, saidlateral loops xcooperating With said central loop.

JACOB FUEHRER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Quagliotti May 19, 1936

